Lightning Types and Classifications Positive Cloud-to-Ground Lightning Cloud-to-Ground Lightning - Positive A lightning discharge between cloud and ground initiated by a downward-moving, positively-charged leader. Abbreviated "+CG". Positive CGs are less common than negative CGs, and usually are associated with supercell thunderstorms and trailing stratiform precipitation regions behind squall lines. Positive cloud-to-ground lightning strikes can be identified visually and in photographs by their distinctive lack of branching (positive CGs occasionally will have branching at higher altitudes, but rarely near the ground). Positive CGs usually consist of only one return stroke, which is typically very bright and intense relative to other lightning activity in a storm. It is common for photographs of positive CGs to be overexposed unless the photographer has stopped the lens down significantly. Thunder from a positive CG is typically very loud, and many times sounds like a series of deep, low-frequency sonic booms. Sprites (see below) are usually associated with the more intense positive CGs. Intracloud Lightning Intracloud Lightning The most common type of discharge - lightning inside a single storm cloud, jumping between different charge regions in the cloud.

Intracloud lightning is sometimes called sheet lightning because it lights up the sky with a 'sheet' of light. All or parts of the actual channel may be obscured inside the cloud, and may or may not be visible to an observer on the ground. Not to be confused with cloud-to-cloud lightning. Anvil Crawler Anvil Crawlers Anvil Crawlers are horizontal, tree-like, in-cloud lightning discharges whos leader propagation is resolvable to the human eye. In other words, the anvil crawler's movement is slow enough (compared to most lightning discharges) that a human observer or normal-speed video camera can see its rapid motion across the sky. This type of lightning (sometimes referred to as 'crawlers' or 'rocket lightning') often cover very large distances, resulting in vast, spectacular sky-filling discharges. Anvil crawlers are often very high-altitude events, and as such typically result in soft, rolling thunder due to their great distance from the observer. The name 'anvil crawler' is derived from the visible 'crawling' motion and their tendency to appear along the underside of the anvil portions of a thunderstorm.

Anvil crawlers can either occur independently completely within the cloud, or in connection with a cloud-to-ground discharge. Click the images below to enlarge Bolt from the Blue Bolt from the Blue A bolt from the blue (sometimes called 'anvil lightning' or 'anvil-to-ground' lightning) is a name given to a cloud-to-ground lightning discharge that strikes far away from its parent thunderstorm. A 'bolt from the blue' typically originates in the highest regions of a cumulonimbus cloud, traveling horizontally a good distance away from the thunderstorm before making a vertical descent to earth. Due to the final strike point being a significant distance from the storm (sometimes up to ten miles away), these lightning events can occur at locations with clear 'blue' skies overhead - hence the name. While many 'bolts from the blue' are positive flashes, some are not. Cloud-to-Air Lightning Cloud-to-Air Lightning Referring to a discharge (or a portion of a discharge) jumping from a cloud into clear air. Technically speaking, all cloud-to-ground lightning strikes contain 'cloud-to-air' components in the many branches that extend away from the main channel and terminate abruptly in mid-air.

However, the most visually dramatic examples of cloud-to-air lightning occur when a long, bright lightning channel jumps out of the side of a cumulonimbus cloud and terminates in the clear air surrounding the storm. Bead Lightning Bead Lightning Bead Lightning is a name given to the decaying stage of a lightning channel in which the luminosity of the channel breaks up into segments. Nearly every lightning discharge will exhibit 'beading' as the channel cools immediately after a return stroke, sometimes referred to as the lightning's 'bead-out' stage. 'Bead lightning' is more properly a stage of a normal lightning discharge rather than a type of lightning in itself. Beading of a lightning channel is usually a small-scale feature, and therefore is often only apparent when the observer/camera is close to the lightning. Ribbon Lightning Ribbon Lightning Ribbon Lightning refers to the visual appearance of a photographed lightning flash's individual return strokes being separated by visible gaps on the final exposure. This is typically caused by wind blowing the lightning channel sideways during the exposure. The stronger the wind and closer the lightning strike, the more horizontal displacement will exist on the recorded image.

Camera movement during the capture of a lightning photograph can also result in the same effect: PHOTO 1: Wind-blown lightning channel: View larger image PHOTO 2: Lightning captured with moving camera: View larger image Sheet Lightning Sheet Lightning Sheet Lightning is a term used to describe clouds illuminated by a lightning discharge where the actual lightning channel is either inside the clouds or below the horizon (not visible to the observer). Sheet lightning is, simply speaking, ordinary lightning (cloud-to-ground, intracloud, etc) that is hidden by clouds or terrain aside from the flash of light it produces.

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Anvil Lightning- This type of lightning usually occurs on the edges of the storm, the severity of the bolts depends greatly on the mass and height that the cloud has reached. These bolts usually start at the top of the storm cloud ie. the Anvil, and traverse down the cloud to make contact with the grounded object. This type of lightning can be one of the most dangerous types as the storm can be more than 15 kilometers away and still produce a bolt that can hit you. Ball Lightning- Not much is known about Ball Lightning, we do know that they can happen during storms and travel great distances, but as to the nature of the lightning this remains a mystery. Bead Lightning- Bead Lightning is very rare. Bead lightning usually occurs straight after a large and powerful bolt, after the bolt has disappeared there remains very slight trace of where it was. Produced by the energized particles in the air it looks like a string of beads hanging from the sky. Ribbon Lightning- (also called staccato lightning) Ribbon lightning occurs when the bolt has several up and down strokes giving the impression of a ribbon.

It greatly depends on the observing location to what the ribbon looks like but many ribbon type lightning bolts appear to hang together coming from a single point in the cloud. Sheet Lightning- Sheet lightning is very common in thunderstorms, it is produced from lightning inside a cloud. This usually means that there was a cloud to cloud bolt. Giving the appearance of a white or off colored sheet. Streak Lightning- (also called forked, jagged or zigzagged lightning) Streak Lightning is all types of lightning, it doesn't matter if it's sheet or whatever all lightning is streak. Streak lightning is the most visible part of a storm, usually forming cloud to ground bolts. Anvil crawlers- This type of lightning usually occurs at the base of a thunderstorm producing lightning that seems to crawl under the cloud mass. Usually appearing from 0.5 of a second to 1.5 seconds. This type of lightning is very common in larger thunderstorms. Severe Weather 101: Lightning Types Severe Weather 101 Severe Weather 101 Lightning Types Lightning strikes the ground, the air, or inside clouds. There are roughly 5 to 10 times as many cloud flashes as there are cloud-to-ground flashes.

There are two types of ground flashes: natural (those that occur because of normal electrification in the environment), and artificially initiated or triggered. Artificially initiated lightning includes strikes to very tall structures, airplanes, rockets and towers on mountains. Triggered lightning goes from ground to cloud, while “natural” lightning is cloud to ground. In cloud-to-ground lightning (CG), a channel of negative charge, called a stepped leader, will zigzag downward in roughly 50-yard segments in a forked pattern. This stepped leader is invisible to the human eye, and shoots to the ground in less time than it takes to blink. As it nears the ground, the negatively charged stepped leader is attracted to a channel of positive charge reaching up, a streamer, normally through something tall, such as a tree, house, or telephone pole. When the oppositely-charged leader and streamer connect, a powerful electrical current begins flowing. A return stroke of bright luminosity travels about 60,000 miles per second back towards the cloud. A flash consists of one or perhaps as many as 20 return strokes. We see lightning flicker when the process rapidly repeats itself several times along the same path.

The actual diameter of a lightning channel is one-to two inches. Charge distribution in a typical storm cloud [+] Charge distribution in a typical storm cloud A typical cloud-to-ground flash is a negative stepped leader that travels downward through the cloud, followed by an upward traveling return stroke. The net effect of this flash is to lower negative charge from the cloud to the ground. Less common, a downward traveling positive leader followed by an upward return stroke will lower positive charge to earth. CLOUD FLASHES Cloud flashes sometimes have visible channels that extend out into the air around the storm (cloud-to-air or CA), but do not strike the ground. The terms sheet lightning or intra-cloud lightning (IC) refers to lightning embedded within a cloud that lights up as a sheet of luminosity during the flash. A related term, heat lightning, is lightning or lightning-induced illumination that is too far away for thunder to be heard. Lightning can also travel from cloud-to-cloud (CC). Spider lightning refers to long, horizontally traveling flashes often seen on the underside of stratiform clouds. Lightning Mapping Arrays provide three-dimensional mapping of lightning channel segments over the array. Up to thousands of points can be mapped for an individual lightning flash to reveal its location and the development of its structure.

Research LMAs exist in Oklahoma, the Texas Panhandle, northern Alabama, Washington D.C., and Kennedy Space Center in Florida. What we do: NSSL uses the OKLMA to investigate how lightning characteristics relate to updrafts, precipitation, and severe storm processes. Scientists also use the OKLMA to investigate using lightning data in weather forecast models. Large thunderstorms are capable of producing other kinds of electrical phenomena called transient luminous events (TLEs) that occur high in the atmosphere. They are rarely observed visually and not well understood. The most common TLEs include red sprites, blue jets, and elves. Red Sprites can appear directly above an active thunderstorm as a large but weak flash. They usually happen at the same time as powerful positive CG lightning strokes. They can extend up to 60 miles from the cloud top. Sprites are mostly red and usually last no more than a few seconds, and their shapes are described as resembling jellyfish, carrots, or columns. Because sprites are not very bright, they can only be seen at night. They are rarely seen with the human eye, so they are most often imaged with highly sensitive cameras.

Blue jets emerge from the top of the thundercloud, but are not directly associated with cloud-to-ground lightning. They extend up in narrow cones fanning out and disappearing at heights of 25-35 miles. Blue jets last a fraction of a second and have been witnessed by pilots. Elves are rapidly expanding disk-shaped regions of glowing that can be up to 300 miles across. They last less than a thousandth of a second, and occur above areas of active cloud to ground lightning. Scientists believe elves result when an energetic electromagnetic pulse extends up into the ionosphere. Elves were discovered in 1992 by a low-light video camera on the Space Shuttle. An illustration of different kinds of transient luminous events (TLEs) [+] An illustration of different kinds of transient luminous events (TLEs) More Severe Weather 101: Weather Wiz Kids weather information for kids What is lightning? Lightning is a bright flash of electricity produced by a thunderstorm. All thunderstorms produce lightning and are very dangerous. If you hear the sound of thunder, then you are in danger from lightning.

Lightning kills and injures more people each year than hurricanes or tornadoes; between 75 to 100 people. What causes lightning? Lightning is an electric current. Within a thundercloud way up in the sky, many small bits of ice (frozen raindrops) bump into each other as they move around in the air. All of those collisions create an electric charge. After a while, the whole cloud fills up with electrical charges. The positive charges or protons form at the top of the cloud and the negative charges or electrons form at the bottom of the cloud. Since opposites attract, that causes a positive charge to build up on the ground beneath the cloud. The grounds electrical charge concentrates around anything that sticks up, such as mountains, people, or single trees. The charge coming up from these points eventually connects with a charge reaching down from the clouds and - zap - lightning strikes! Have you ever rubbed your feet across carpet and then touched a metal door handle? If so, then you know that you can get shocked! Lightning works in the same way. Click Here to see where lightning is currently striking across the U.S. How hot is lightning? Lightning is approximately 54,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

That is six times hotter than the surface of the sun! What color is lightning? Lightning seems to be clear or a white-yellow color, but it really depends on the background. What causes thunder? Thunder is caused by lightning. When a lightning bolt travels from the cloud to the ground it actually opens up a little hole in the air, called a channel. Once then light is gone the air collapses back in and creates a sound wave that we hear as thunder. The reason we see lightning before we hear thunder is because light travels faster than sound! How do you know if lightning is nearby? If you see dark clouds, then lightning could be present, but the best thing you can do is to listen for thunder. If you hear thunder, then you need to go indoors or get in a car. Don't be outside, where lightning could strike! If your hair stands on end or your skin starts to tingle, lightning maybe about to strike. Get down on your hands and knees and keep your head tucked in. Do not lay flat, because it can give lightning a better chance of strike you. How far away can you see lightning and hear thunder?

Within those distant thunderstorms, the lightning bolts can be seen as much as 100 miles from us, depending on the height of the bolt, the clarity of the air, and our elevation. Thunder, in comparison, has a much shorter range of detection - usually less than 15 miles in a quiet rural setting and under 5 miles in a noisy city environment. Why are you less likely to see static electricity in the summer? In the summer, our dew points are much higher due to warm and humid air coming from the Gulf of Mexico and that is why we have humid weather. In the winter, our dew points are much lower due to cold and direr air coming from Canada. The lower the dew point the better it is to create static electricity, so that's why you see it more in the winter. What is cloud-to-ground lightning? All lightning is dangerous, but cloud-to-ground lightning is the most dangerous type of lightning. Most cloud-to-ground lightning strikes come from the negatively charged bottom of the cloud traveling to the positively charged ground below. Cloud-to-ground lightning bolts strike the tall objects, like trees and buildings. These lightning strikes can cause fire and property damage. If you're the tallest object, then lighting can strike you.

Lightning is the second weather related killed. What is intracloud lightning? Intracloud lightning is the most common type of lightning. This occurs when there are both positive and negative charges within the same cloud. Usually, the process takes place within the cloud and looks like a bright flash of light which flickers. What is intercloud lightning? Intercloud lightning is less common. It's when a lightning strike occurs when there are positive and negative charges within different clouds and the strike travels in the air between them. What is forked lightning? Forked lighting appears as jagged lines of light. They can have several branches. Forked lightning can be seen shooting from the clouds to the ground, from one cloud to another cloud, or from a cloud out into the air. This lightning can strike up to 10 miles away from a thunderstorm. What is sheet lightning? Sheet lightning appears as flashes of light that seem to light up or illuminate entire clouds. What is heat lightning? Heat lightning is a term used to describe lightning flashes that are too far away from you to hear the thunder. The reason that it is called heat lightning is that it appears most often on a hot summer day when the sky is clear overhead. What is high-altitude lightning?

High-altitude lightning has been given other names such as "red sprites," "green elves," and "blue jets." This form of lightning appears as brightly colored flashes, high above thunderstorms. You can't see these types of lightning from the ground. What is ribbon lightning? Ribbon lightning is when a bolt of lightning separates due to wind and appears as parallel lightning streaks. What is chain or bead lightning? Chain or bead lightning is when a lightning bolt is broken into dotted lines while fading. What is ball lightning? Ball lightning is a rare form of lightning. It usually appears as a reddish, luminous ball, but can come in any color. Ball lightning is usually spherical in shape and about one foot in diameter. Hissing noises originate from such balls and they sometimes make a loud noise when they explode. What is St. Elmo's Fire? St. Elmo's Fire appears as a blue or greenish glow above pointed objects on the ground. It is created when tiny positively charged sparks reach up in response to negatively charges in the air or clouds above the ground. If a thunderstorm is nearby, St. Elmo's Fire might be seen right before a lightning strike. What is anvil lightning?

Anvil lightning is a type of lightning referred to as "the bolt from the blue" because it often appears suddenly from a seemingly cloudless sky. A bolt at the top of a thunderstorm arcs away from the main cloud and strikes the ground where the skies above often appear clear. Can you tell how far away a storm is? Yes, you can use thunder to tell how far away a storm is. Next time you see a storm, count the number of seconds between when you see the lightning and hear the thunder. Take the number of seconds and divide by 5 and that will tell you how far away the storm is in miles. For example: If you counted 10 seconds between the lightning and the thunder, the lightning is 2 miles away! Know the Lingo SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH - A severe thunderstorm (damaging winds of 58 miles per hour or more, or 1" hail in diameter or greater) is likely to develop in your area. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING - A severe thunderstorm (damaging winds of 58 miles per hour or more, or hail three-fourths of an inch in diameter or greater) is taking place in your area.

PROTONS - They are particles with a positive charge. ELECTRONS - They are particles with a negative charge. STATIC ELECTRICITY - It is a form of electricity that is created when an object has too many electrons, giving it a negative charge. LEADERS - A channel of charged air created by excess electrons in a thunderstorm cloud. A leader reaches from the cloud to the ground below, looking for positive charges. RETURN STROKE - It's an electrical charge that travels from the ground to a thundercloud. This return stroke releases tremendous energy, bright light and thunder. STREAMERS - A channel of charged air created by protons on the ground. They are created when leaders are created and reach from the ground to the sky looking for a leader to connect with. Know the Facts A lightning flash is no more than one inch wide. What we see as a flash of lightning may actually be four different strokes in exactly the same place, one right after another. That's why lightning appears to flicker. Click Here to see if there are any active warnings in your area. Lightning Safety Tips IF YOURE OUTDOORS: Keep an eye at the sky. Look for darkening skies, flashes of lightning, or increasing winds.

Lightning often proceeds rain, so dont wait for the rain to begin. If you hear the sound of thunder, go to a safe place immediately. The best place to go is a sturdy building or a car, but make sure the windows in the car are shut. Avoid sheds, picnic areas, baseball dugouts and bleachers. If there is no shelter around you, stay away from trees. Crouch down in the open area, keeping twice as far away from a tree as far as it is tall. Put your feet together and place your hands over your ears to minimize hearing damage from thunder. If youre with a group of people stay about 15 feet from each other. Stay out of water, because its a great conductor of electricity. Swimming, wading, snorkeling and scuba diving are not safe. Also, dont stand in puddles and avoid metal. Stay away from clotheslines, fences, and drop your backpacks because they often have metal on them. If youre playing an outdoor activity, wait at least 30 minutes after the last observed lightning strike or thunder. IF YOURE INDOORS: Avoid water.

Its a great conductor of electricity, so do not take a shower, wash your hands, wash dishes or do laundry. Do not use a corded telephone. Lightning may strike exterior phone lines. Do not use electric equipment like computers and appliances during a storm. Stay away from windows and doors and stay off porches. IF SOMEONE IS STRUCK BY LIGHTNING: Call for help. Call 9-1-1 or send for help immediately. The injured person does not carry an electrical charge, so it is okay to touch them. Lightning Activities Lightning Experiment: Here is a great experiment that allows kids to make lightning in their mouth. It's a great way for them to understand how lightning works. Lightning Experiment: Here is a great experiment that allows the kids to make lightning. All you need is a balloon and a light bulb! Lightning Experiment: Here is another great experiment that allows the kids to make lightning. This teaches kids about the positive and negative charges and where they come from. Static Electricity Experiment: Here is an experiment that allows the kids to learn about static electricity by sticking a balloon to a wall. This teaches kids about the positive and negative charges and where they come from.

Static Electricity Experiment: Here is another static electricity experiment that bends water. This teaches kids about the positive and negative charges and where they come from. Static Electricity Experiment: Here is yet another static electricity experiment with using a balloon and your hair. This teaches kids about the positive and negative charges and where they come from. Thunder Experiment: This experiment allows kids to make thunder, in a way that allows them to understand how it is made by lightning. Thunderstorm Experiment: Here is a great way to teach kids how to track a thunderstorm. Thunderstorm Experiment: Here is a great experiment that shows kids how our weather works. It teaches them how thunderstorms are formed! Science Fair Project Ideas: Here is a complete list of science fair project ideas. Discover the science behind the weather that impacts us every day. USATODAY.com 01/17/2006 - Updated 01:08 PM ET Details about the forms of lightning Lightning discharges from thunderstorm clouds in many forms: Forked lightning: Crooked or branched channels in a lightning stroke. Observers might see these ominous-looking bolts shoot from the cloud to the ground, from one cloud to another, or out of the top or sides of a storm.

Cloud-to-cloud lightning is the most common, while only about 20 percent of all discharges are cloud-to-ground. Less common are bolts that shoot from cloud-to-air. Occasionally these strike up to 10 miles away from a thunderstorm. If the sky overhead is clear when the renegade lightning strikes, these "bolts from the blue" will seem to appear out of nowhere. Sheet lightning: Stroke appears within a cloud or is obscured by nearby clouds. Flashes of lightning can illuminate entire clouds, making them visible from miles away. With sheet lightning, the observer is near enough to hear the thunder. Those farther away might report "heat lightning." Heat lightning: Flashes too far away for observer to hear the thunder. Like sheet lightning, these flashes are created by lightning bolts, but are in thunderstorms more than 10 miles away. Trees, buildings and urban noise can cut this distance to less than five miles. It's called heat lightning because it is seen more frequently on hot summer nights when the sky overhead is clear. Often, air molecules and dust particles in the atmosphere refract the light coming from distant lightning, making the bolts or flashes appear orange. Ball lightning: Extremely rare, nearly phantom, luminous spheres.

Less than three feet wide, these glowing balls have been seen coming from some of the more violent thunderstorms, which contain lots of lightning. In nearly all reported cases, the observers saw another form of lightning flash before seeing ball lightning. Lasting from several seconds to several minutes, the spheres can simply vanish after traveling slowly toward the ground. Usually no damage is left behind by ball lightning, but at times they have traveled through windows and screens, leaving behind burn marks. Reports of ball lightning have come from passengers on planes as well as from poeple in their homes or on ships. Still, some scientists don't believe ball lightning exists. St. Elmo's Fire: Luminous greenish or bluish glow above pointed objects on the ground. Named for the patron saint of sailors, St. Elmo's Fire is created by the soft glow of an electric field generated by a continuous flow of tiny sparks. The tiny sparks are postive charge reaching skyward in response to a growing area of negative charge in the clouds or air above. Instead of generating a lightning strike, the corona discharge, as it's called, flees objects such the masts of ships, power poles, antennas, and the wings of aircraft, causing the glow.

If a thunderstorm is nearby, St. Elmo's Fire might precede a lightning strike close. High-altitude lightning: Recently-discovered colored flashes of light high above thunderstorms. Playful names such as "red sprites," "blue jets," and "green elves" have been given to these distincly different forms of lightning. They shoot up from the tops of thunderstorms about the same moment lightning discharges within the storm cloud. Occurring in the middle of the atmosphere, red sprites look like the stems of carrots, while blue jets are small streaks of light with flared ends like the horn of trumpet. Green elves are nearly-invisible, glowing, jellyfish-shaped amoebas that spread across the upper atmosphere.

Question: Sheet, ribbon, forked, and ball are all types of what?
Answer: Lightning